Shunyata Venom 14 power cord - ongoing review

I purchased five of these 1.75m Shunyata Venom 14 power cords several months ago and I've been slowly introducing them into my system.

At $95 each, this is Shunyata's least expensive power cord in their lineup. Presumably aimed at the entry level buyer who is ready to try their very first aftermarket power cord like me!

Visually, these look like most standard power cords with molded plastic connectors that you've seen, albeit with a few unique differences. Most notably, the visible twist/spiral that the conductors have can be seen through the insulation.

From a specifications standpoint, this power cord seems to be mostly relying on higher quality materials for it's improvement over standard cords:

Build quality/appearance seems relatively nice, but I found it slightly odd that only 3 out of the 5 cables I purchased had the inner conductors' twist visible. The other two seemed to have a thicker insulation or not as dramatic of an internal twist. The retailer I purchased them from informed me that they were all from the same batch that was sent to them.

I reached out to Shunyata for clarification on this and here is their reply: "I just discussed this with productions and figured out the following. All of these Venom 14 models feature the high twist conductors but some have thicker insulation then others which accounts for the visibility differences."

Slightly concerned at this level of QC and production tolerances for a $95 cable, I replied: "I just wanted to ensure that the internal wiring and twist pattern was the same as the other cables. I figured if the twist wasn't the same that it could then affect the inductance and capacitance of the cable."

And then Shunyata's final response: "Yes, you are correct. I confirmed with productions that these are all built identically except some have thicker insulation then others. Sorry for the confusion surrounding these cables but rest assured, they are all built the same internally and should perform identically."

3 out of 5 look like this:

The remaining two look like this:

Another interesting thing that I noticed when I was preparing to write this review, is that 3 of the cables have their three prongs exiting the connector at an angle, one at a slight angle, and the last mostly exiting straight.

I've taken some photos to illustrate what I mean.

In the above photo, I'm holding the edge of the connector parallel or aligned to the edge of the table. You can see that the prongs are exiting at a slight right angle.

Now, in this photo above, I'm holding the connector angled, so that the prongs are exiting at a straight "90 degree" angle. You can see the degree that I've had to adjust the angle, in order to get the prongs to exit straight.

It can be further illustrated with this straight line, and then comparing it to the line on the molding of the connector:

So, again, a little disappointed with the fit and finish for a $95 cable that seems to have production tolerances that are inferior to the throw away black cords included with new equipment.

Obviously I don't believe this will present a real world issue in terms of the cable's performance. The only thing is that the connector wouldn't sit completely flush on the left hand side when the cable is fully inserted into the receptacle. Instead, there would be a few mm of a gap there.

Moving on to the performance/sound of the cable.

I will say that when I purchased these, I told my sales rep that I was skeptical of these making any sort of difference. I think I actually guffawed and said something like "There is simply NO WAY that these will make a difference". He remained calm and said "Just try them out when they arrive and get back to me."

The first cable I swapped was on my Marantz CD6004. Almost immediately (1-3 tracks), I noticed a positive improvement in the stereo imaging sensation. The image and sweet spot was more apparent, I could move horizontally in and out of it and feel it shifting around my ears. Other elements of the player's already excellent performance remained the same. However, even if it only improved the imaging and nothing else, I'd consider that worthwhile as it makes the listening experience a lot more pleasurable, in my opinion.

I also tried the Venom cord on three different DACs. On 2 out of the 3, I noticed that same obvious improvement in stereo imaging. The third DAC didn't seem to benefit as much from it, no obvious differences.

Yesterday, I put the second Shunyata cord into my system on my Schiit Saga preamp. Prior to this, I'd been using it with the stock cord for over 6 months. Even though my system was cold, I almost immediately (first 30-60 seconds of a song) noticed an increase in stereo imaging performance. It was less dramatic than with the CD player, but still noticeable.

I let the system play for an hour and then came back to it to do some further listening. When I sat down and listened for a while, it was obvious that the performance of the preamp had increased. I was hearing an improvement in the decay of the music. I guess this means that more subtleties in the recording were reaching me now. I also noticed that when listening through my CD6004, the highs (cymbals, high hats, etc) got crisper and a little brighter. I don't consider this a bad thing as my 703s tend to have a laid back presentation. I'm not sure if the cable itself is contributing to this additional brightness/crispness, or if there's now simply more musical information in the upper spectrum that's reaching the speakers. Overall, I'm happy with the performance enhancement that it's bringing to the preamp.

After listening to my system again today for roughly six hours, I noticed that the preamp now does not run as warm. I was pretty accustomed to it's operating temp, and got used to how it would feel when I put my hand on the left side where the Schiit logo is. Today and yesterday when I would feel to see how warm it was running, it was noticeably cooler, even though the ambient temperature in the room was the same. Anyone have a scientific explanation for why this might occur?

The next component I'll swap cords on will be my Dayens Ampino monoblock amplifiers later this week, followed lastly by my PS Audio Dectet power conditioner. I'll report back and reflect on any changes I notice.

"Electronic music is human sound adapting to indulge technology, and for some, it feels like the signature sound of energy. New and abstract sounds over hypnotic rhythms can conjure vast soundscapes for escape, pleasure, and transcendence."

Comments

Looking forward to the amp cable impressions. I had been a skeptic until one day due to a really tight bend, I had to remove some upgraded power cables I was using on my preamp and power amp that were of the garden hose variety. A few days later I was scratching my head wondering what was missing from my system, it just didn't sound as good. Cables went back and all was good again. These were not Uber$$ cables but were inline with the price of my system at the time.

Nice write-up, Drew. I'm wondering, if you take those crooked cables and use them with your crooked VTI stand, will everything look even then? Or are the cable ends bent in the opposite direction? I'm just messing with you. I came very close to ordering one of those cables a few months ago to try something different. But due to a discount that was being offered I went with something else.

"Electronic music is human sound adapting to indulge technology, and for some, it feels like the signature sound of energy. New and abstract sounds over hypnotic rhythms can conjure vast soundscapes for escape, pleasure, and transcendence."

I purchased five of these 1.75m Shunyata Venom 14 power cords several months ago and I've been slowly introducing them into my system.

...

Build quality/appearance seems relatively nice, but I found it slightly odd that only 3 out of the 5 cables I purchased had the inner conductors' twist visible. The other two seemed to have a thicker insulation or not as dramatic of an internal twist. The retailer I purchased them from informed me that they were all from the same batch that was sent to them.

I reached out to Shunyata for clarification on this and here is their reply: "I just discussed this with productions and figured out the following. All of these Venom 14 models feature the high twist conductors but some have thicker insulation then others which accounts for the visibility differences."

Slightly concerned at this level of QC and production tolerances for a $95 cable, I replied: "I just wanted to ensure that the internal wiring and twist pattern was the same as the other cables. I figured if the twist wasn't the same that it could then affect the inductance and capacitance of the cable."

And then Shunyata's final response: "Yes, you are correct. I confirmed with productions that these are all built identically except some have thicker insulation then others. Sorry for the confusion surrounding these cables but rest assured, they are all built the same internally and should perform identically."

Sounds like their OEM cable supplier changed insulation specs (or if they assemble the cables themselves, their insulator OEM changed specs). The insulation thickness (or stretchiness, as the case may be) was probably not part of Shunyata's spec to the OEM, so everyone was happy -- except, perhaps, the consumer. Thus the usual disclaimer widely used by companies past and present: "Specifications subject to change without notice."

So I was thinking about this, and could it somehow be related to there being less electrical resistance now, and therefore the transformer inside doesn't have to "work as hard", and thus it's generating less wasted energy in the form of heat?

After listening to my system again today for roughly six hours, I noticed that the preamp now does not run as warm. I was pretty accustomed to it's operating temp, and got used to how it would feel when I put my hand on the left side where the Schiit logo is. Today and yesterday when I would feel to see how warm it was running, it was noticeably cooler, even though the ambient temperature in the room was the same. Anyone have a scientific explanation for why this might occur?

"Electronic music is human sound adapting to indulge technology, and for some, it feels like the signature sound of energy. New and abstract sounds over hypnotic rhythms can conjure vast soundscapes for escape, pleasure, and transcendence."

It's the "norm" for 4 out of 5 $95 power cords to have molding tolerance issues from the factory, that result in the metal prongs leaving the plug at something other than a 90 degree angle?

"Electronic music is human sound adapting to indulge technology, and for some, it feels like the signature sound of energy. New and abstract sounds over hypnotic rhythms can conjure vast soundscapes for escape, pleasure, and transcendence."

Today I replaced the generic black 18awg throw away cables on my Dayens Ampino Monoblocks with two Venom 14s. While I was making the swap and maneuvering the thicker, but still very flexible Venoms into place, I was skeptical as usual that this was going to have any audible difference.

I turned the system on at a lower volume and let it play through the first 4 tracks of a CD through my Marantz CD6004, and then came back into the room to evaluate any audible differences.

Again, there was a slight improvement in stereo imaging, as seems to be one of the signature strengths of this cable. As I continued to listen, I noticed some additional changes that weren't quite as slight/subtle.

The change I perceived first was a greater rhythm and musicality to the sound. I had a stronger desire to tap my foot and nod my head than I typically do when I listen to music on my system. I believe this is because the sound now has a more cohesive quality to it. Individual elements within the song are now meshing more with one another, creating an overall more pleasing and musically involving sound.

I've had experiences in the past when listening where I'm hearing good details and can pick out elements of a song, but then have that "can't see the forest for the trees" sensation. Where you're getting good amounts of detail, but you're losing the overall feeling and musical message of the track as a whole. We'll see how things go, but I'm not having that at all so far as I've been listening.

The overall clarity of the sound has also increased. However, not like you might expect when you think of an "increase in clarity". Sometimes in regards to "clarity", you would think of a sensation like a slight increase in treble or midrange frequencies. As if you were EQing the signal and slightly boosting certain things to increase their "clarity".

The increase in clarity that I experienced manifested itself in more detail and breath around vocals, and greater sensations of attack and decay. It was as if I lowered the amount of extraneous "background" information and now the sounds are all coming forward and playing off one another much more. At the risk of sounding like a totally cliche Stereophile reviewer, I heard tiny background subtleties that I hadn't previously noticed in some songs. If I'm interpreting this sensation correctly, I think I've just noticeably lowered the noise floor.

I've always admired the overall sound signature/voicing of the Dayens Ampino Monoblocks. Effortless and flowing are a few words that come to mind. (Full review on the Ampino Monos coming in the future) Even in my first few months owning them, I could "hear" how simple their circuit design is and how there is nothing extra in the signal path. Their super minimalist approach is evident in their performance.

With the addition of these power cables, I feel like now they can perform closer to their full potential. I'm still getting the "easy" and "flowing" characteristics that were there before today, but now the rhythmic musicality and cohesiveness has increased noticeably.

In summary, I wouldn't describe the cable swap as "night and day", but if you are extremely familiar with your system you'd easily pick up on the changes they bring, as I was able to in only an hour of listening. I'm very pleased with them and the very noticeable changes they brought to the table. Definitely a nice improvement, in my opinion.

"Electronic music is human sound adapting to indulge technology, and for some, it feels like the signature sound of energy. New and abstract sounds over hypnotic rhythms can conjure vast soundscapes for escape, pleasure, and transcendence."

It's nothing more than confirmational bias. Every naysayer knows that power cords can't make a difference.

Political Correctness'.........defined

"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

Anyone who knows me in person knows that I tend to be skeptical and pessimistic. As I mentioned, I wasn't expecting any easily detectable differences. I actually thought to myself "Great, now I'm going to have to sit here and try my hardest to hear any "changes" instead of just being able to enjoy the music." as I finished plugging in the cables.

Well, the changes weren't hard at all to hear!

I strongly believe that anyone with a decent set of ears who's still using standard black OEM/throw away cords would easily be able to hear a difference after swapping in one of these Venom cables on the component(s) of their choice.

"Electronic music is human sound adapting to indulge technology, and for some, it feels like the signature sound of energy. New and abstract sounds over hypnotic rhythms can conjure vast soundscapes for escape, pleasure, and transcendence."

I swapped in the 5th and final Venom 14 tonight, replacing the standard 14ga black power cord included with my PS Audio Dectet power conditioner that was feeding it power from the wall outlet.

Even with the system cold, the first thing I noticed was an audibly different presentation of the sound. The music was less localized to each speaker, and instead the sound has shifted a little toward the space in-between the two speakers. In addition to this sensation, I noticed that the "sweet spot" didn't seem so small as it typically has in the past. I could move my head left or right ~4" without it seeming like the image was shifting.

I let the system play music and warm up for 20 minutes or so and then came back and listened to a few songs that I'm familiar with via my Marantz CD6004. I should note that every component I had powered on was now using a Venom 14.

What jumped out at me first was an increase in midrange detail, specifically for male and female vocals. I was able to hear more nuances within the voices, and these are songs I've listened to 50+ times. I believe this could be described as "more revealing".

I also noticed that overall the sound had a very polite and smoothed over attribute to it that wasn't there before. One way to describe it in other terms would be "heavenly and angelic". Basically when I heard the way the music was sounding I thought to myself "Mmm, that's nice." - It was pleasant and unoffensive.

As I listened to more tracks, the lush and smooth characteristic remained, but yet at the same time there were great details being extracted from vocals and other instruments. I cranked a few tracks louder than I typically listen, and nothing sounded harsh or fatiguing. Everything was just super clean and precise sounding.

One unexpected result was that I was hearing what I perceived as a reduction in bass frequencies. Some of my test tracks are electronic and they feature pretty good kick drums and/or basslines. It just seemed like if you had a bass tone control, that you had turned it down to the "10 or 11 o'clock" position as opposed to noon.

Perhaps before it was actually being boomey or overly accented, and now it's tightened up and is being reproduced as it should be? I'll have to explore this more with some CDs that I know have solid basslines and see how it goes. I'll update this thread accordingly when I'm able to.

In terms of how noticeable the impact of this particular power cord swap was, I'd say it was right up there or exceeding the changes I noticed when I swapped them on my monoblock amps. I guess that makes sense, because if everything is getting power from the Dectet, and I've just increased the performance of that, then the performance of all components connected to it should also increase.

The Dectet's manual actually has a statement in it about use with aftermarket power cords. It may just be something their marketing department insisted be included, but check it out: "We strongly recommend the use of a PS Audio PerfectWave Power AC cable and a PS Power Port AC receptacle to feed the Power Center electricity. While the supplied power cable is adequate for the task, it is not going to provide the best performance. Choosing any PerfectWave Power cable will make a significant performance improvement over the stock power cable"

In summary, there were definitely some palpable changes I noticed with this Dectet cable swap. The shifted presentation and additional midrange detail are positive, in my opinion. The smooth and polite sound signature and possible reduction in bass frequencies require further consideration and listening before I can also consider them positive changes.

"Electronic music is human sound adapting to indulge technology, and for some, it feels like the signature sound of energy. New and abstract sounds over hypnotic rhythms can conjure vast soundscapes for escape, pleasure, and transcendence."

I've inserted the Shunyata Venoms in my system as well as a few others. I was totally not ready for the change presented simply by swapping in these cables. I did a blind test with a couple of buddies that are not audiophiles or even listen to much music outside of in their car. They are older and don't have the best hearing and they even noticed a difference between the standard power cable and the Venoms. And that was only swapping out one cable on the Emotiva DAC.
I don't have to take anyone's word for it. I've heard it myself.
Appreciate your perceptive description as you've been able to describe some of the same changes I've heard. Congrats on achieving a new level of listening pleasure and thanks for sharing your experience.

I've inserted the Shunyata Venoms in my system as well as a few others. I was totally not ready for the change presented simply by swapping in these cables. I did a blind test with a couple of buddies that are not audiophiles or even listen to much music outside of in their car. They are older and don't have the best hearing and they even noticed a difference between the standard power cable and the Venoms. And that was only swapping out one cable on the Emotiva DAC.
I don't have to take anyone's word for it. I've heard it myself.
Appreciate your perceptive description as you've been able to describe some of the same changes I've heard. Congrats on achieving a new level of listening pleasure and thanks for sharing your experience.

I swapped in the 5th and final Venom 14 tonight, replacing the standard 14ga black power cord included with my PS Audio Dectet power conditioner that was feeding it power from the wall outlet.

Even with the system cold, the first thing I noticed was an audibly different presentation of the sound. The music was less localized to each speaker, and instead the sound has shifted a little toward the space in-between the two speakers. In addition to this sensation, I noticed that the "sweet spot" didn't seem so small as it typically has in the past. I could move my head left or right ~4" without it seeming like the image was shifting.

I let the system play music and warm up for 20 minutes or so and then came back and listened to a few songs that I'm familiar with via my Marantz CD6004. I should note that every component I had powered on was now using a Venom 14.

What jumped out at me first was an increase in midrange detail, specifically for male and female vocals. I was able to hear more nuances within the voices, and these are songs I've listened to 50+ times. I believe this could be described as "more revealing".

I also noticed that overall the sound had a very polite and smoothed over attribute to it that wasn't there before. One way to describe it in other terms would be "heavenly and angelic". Basically when I heard the way the music was sounding I thought to myself "Mmm, that's nice." - It was pleasant and unoffensive.

As I listened to more tracks, the lush and smooth characteristic remained, but yet at the same time there were great details being extracted from vocals and other instruments. I cranked a few tracks louder than I typically listen, and nothing sounded harsh or fatiguing. Everything was just super clean and precise sounding.

One unexpected result was that I was hearing what I perceived as a reduction in bass frequencies. Some of my test tracks are electronic and they feature pretty good kick drums and/or basslines. It just seemed like if you had a bass tone control, that you had turned it down to the "10 or 11 o'clock" position as opposed to noon.

Perhaps before it was actually being boomey or overly accented, and now it's tightened up and is being reproduced as it should be? I'll have to explore this more with some CDs that I know have solid basslines and see how it goes. I'll update this thread accordingly when I'm able to.

In terms of how noticeable the impact of this particular power cord swap was, I'd say it was right up there or exceeding the changes I noticed when I swapped them on my monoblock amps. I guess that makes sense, because if everything is getting power from the Dectet, and I've just increased the performance of that, then the performance of all components connected to it should also increase.

The Dectet's manual actually has a statement in it about use with aftermarket power cords. It may just be something their marketing department insisted be included, but check it out: "We strongly recommend the use of a PS Audio PerfectWave Power AC cable and a PS Power Port AC receptacle to feed the Power Center electricity. While the supplied power cable is adequate for the task, it is not going to provide the best performance. Choosing any PerfectWave Power cable will make a significant performance improvement over the stock power cable"

In summary, there were definitely some palpable changes I noticed with this Dectet cable swap. The shifted presentation and additional midrange detail are positive, in my opinion. The smooth and polite sound signature and possible reduction in bass frequencies require further consideration and listening before I can also consider them positive changes.

I have had the top of the line SHunyata Sigma power cords in my system, there was an increase in bass.

I think initially it will tighten the bass, but as you go up the line, the unrestricted power pass through just increases the bass reproduction. It's pretty cool actually.

Appreciate your perceptive description as you've been able to describe some of the same changes I've heard. Congrats on achieving a new level of listening pleasure and thanks for sharing your experience.

Thanks man. That's a good way to describe it, like the system has reached another level that's higher than where it was previously. I certainly wasn't expecting the imaging shift, as well as the increased midrange detail, and overall smooth characteristic to the sound. Looking forward to logging more hours on the system and verifying my initial impressions. Also, I hate to say it, but I'm already curious about how higher end/more expensive power cords would compare to these $95 Venom 14s. What were the things you noticed that were the same as my observations?

I kinda dig this thread. You mean power cords can make a difference ? You didn't spend thousands of dollars ? It wasn't placebo ?

Well, I did have to spend $475 for the 5 cables, so it wasn't exactly inexpensive. But it's certainly been an interesting experience swapping them in one at a time, and then hearing the final/cumulative effect of having them all in place.

Some of the differences weren't night and day, they were subtle. So perhaps if you're not very in tune with your own system's performance, you might swap one in and not "hear" any changes. However, I think most of us are so critical about our own system's performance, and have been in the hobby for so many years, that we can easily hear changes from swapping power cords, ICs, and SCs.

Anyway, with placebo, I think you have to want the item you just paid for to make a difference. Hell, if these hadn't made a difference, I could've returned them and got my money back. So if anything, my subconscious placebo influence would be thinking/hoping that they wouldn't make any difference.

Maybe my experience with these Venom 14s will convince just one other person to give one or more of them a try in their own system. I'd certainly be curious to read about their experience! For $95/cable with a 30 day money back return policy, you really have nothing to lose.

"Electronic music is human sound adapting to indulge technology, and for some, it feels like the signature sound of energy. New and abstract sounds over hypnotic rhythms can conjure vast soundscapes for escape, pleasure, and transcendence."

Anyway, with placebo, I think you have to want the item you just paid for to make a difference. Hell, if these hadn't made a difference, I could've returned them and got my money back. So if anything, my subconscious placebo influence would be thinking/hoping that they wouldn't make any difference.

That's a great point. I've never used aftermarket AC cords, so I really appreciate this thread. Bookmarking it.

“Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'”
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If you've never tried after market cords, and know your system/sound pretty well, you owe it to yourself to try them. It's a relatively low cost way to take your system to a new level, as has been stated.

I've always thought the goal of high-end audio was not to have your neighbors bang on the wall and say, 'Turn that darn music down' but to have your neighbors bang on the wall and say, 'Tell your friends to go home and you can practice later this week'.

I'll give it a try, but I think I'll give a power conditioner a go before cables.

Hey I did the same thing! But honestly the difference with adding aftermarket PCs was more impactful, at least in my experience. Especially this last one, adding the PC to the power conditioner.

"Electronic music is human sound adapting to indulge technology, and for some, it feels like the signature sound of energy. New and abstract sounds over hypnotic rhythms can conjure vast soundscapes for escape, pleasure, and transcendence."

Glad you are having a good experience. When I added the Venoms to my previous system I was amazed at the improvement. So much so that after three weeks I upgraded to a higher line of Shunyata power cords. Now I have their TOL of power cables, speaker cables, and interconnects, and have no regrets. Such good sound for a (relatively) modest cost (compared to other vendors).

Hey Bud. It looks like their next power cable jumps WAY up in price at $600 for a 1.75m Delta cord. I was surprised to not see something offered between the $100-600 range.

"Electronic music is human sound adapting to indulge technology, and for some, it feels like the signature sound of energy. New and abstract sounds over hypnotic rhythms can conjure vast soundscapes for escape, pleasure, and transcendence."

I'll give it a try, but I think I'll give a power conditioner a go before cables.

The only reason to go there first is if:

A: The unit you buy is a combo surge protector/voltage regulator (like a APC H15) and you dont have the ability to install a whole home protector at your wall (because you rent). Then its good to have the surge protection, and ensure your not getting less (or more) voltage to your devices than they need

B: You have fear of brown-outs/surges blowing your amps

C: You live in a older home with "suspect" wiring

For "most" people they are good cheap(ish) "insurance" against surges, but they may not make a ton of difference in filtering out the noiseand its also normally more expensive than a couple decent midgrade power cables.

They also do kinda different things, and I wouldn't expect a APC H15 to "clean up" any noise your getting. I have 2 and cant tell the difference between the "before" and "after" installation sound quality.

If you want to "clean up" any noise like that, you need to jump up to the power re-generator type of device, like the PS Audio's, but those are orders of magnitude more pricey than power cables.

PS I'm a fan of Signal Cable Power Cables, PS Audio AC-3's, Cullen Cable and Wireworld. All are relatively inexpensive (if you wait for the PS Audio's you can get them for good prices). Honorable mention to Pangea, though I didn't like their plug ends personally, and the larger cables (AC-9) were like bending a garden hose, but many people use and love them.

"....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)

I'll give it a try, but I think I'll give a power conditioner a go before cables.

The only reason to go there first is if:

A: The unit you buy is a combo surge protector/voltage regulator (like a APC H15) and you dont have the ability to install a whole home protector at your wall (because you rent). Then its good to have the surge protection, and ensure your not getting less (or more) voltage to your devices than they need

B: You have fear of brown-outs/surges blowing your amps

C: You live in a older home with "suspect" wiring

For "most" people they are good cheap(ish) "insurance" against surges, but they may not make a ton of difference in filtering out the noiseand its also normally more expensive than a couple decent midgrade power cables.

They also do kinda different things, and I wouldn't expect a APC H15 to "clean up" any noise your getting. I have 2 and cant tell the difference between the "before" and "after" installation sound quality.

If you want to "clean up" any noise like that, you need to jump up to the power re-generator type of device, like the PS Audio's, but those are orders of magnitude more pricey than power cables.

PS I'm a fan of Signal Cable Power Cables, PS Audio AC-3's, Cullen Cable and Wireworld. All are relatively inexpensive (if you wait for the PS Audio's you can get them for good prices). Honorable mention to Pangea, though I didn't like their plug ends personally, and the larger cables (AC-9) were like bending a garden hose, but many people use and love them.

I never thought about that. I think I’ll still get one because we have LOTS of brown outs, so many that when I’m not using my system, I turn off the power bar, in order to avoid damage. However I may not get one as nice as I was planning. I thought you could get a power conditioner as cheap as $100. Oh well. I think that I have a few more things to come before power cables, like speaker cables and RCA cables, etc.

I've always thought the goal of high-end audio was not to have your neighbors bang on the wall and say, 'Turn that darn music down' but to have your neighbors bang on the wall and say, 'Tell your friends to go home and you can practice later this week'.

I never thought about that. I think I’ll still get one because we have LOTS of brown outs, so many that when I’m not using my system, I turn off the power bar, in order to avoid damage. However I may not get one as nice as I was planning. I thought you could get a power conditioner as cheap as $100. Oh well. I think that I have a few more things to come before power cables, like speaker cables and RCA cables, etc.

Depends on how many things your connecting, but they still aren't cheap (at least the good ones).

I have used Furman AC-125 (2 outlets) that are fairly cheap but still above your price. Then you have the APC H10 & H15, both of which I think are discontinued. Then you have the Tripp Lite LC series (like the LC1800 or the LCR2400), but again all of those are above 100 easily.

It honestly may be easier when not using your system to physically unplug it.

Now if you OWN the home, a whole home surge protector solves that problem, and then, if needed battery backups could allow you time to shut down more sensitive items properly (TV/computers/etc)

"....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)